The Love of a Gryffindor
by aerialspire
Summary: AR. The Chamber of Secrets, this time with romance! Harry falls in love...but what about his girl's old boyfriend? And how does Draco feel about her?
1. Author's note

Author's Note: This story is an AR, or **A**lternate **R**eality of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I chose it because I thought it is the best time for my main character to take center stage. However, this story is NOT a rehash of the Chamber of Secrets, even though it starts off similar. There will be a lot of different scenes. Students in Hogwarts are not allowed to go to Hogsmeade in their 2nd year. I don't see any reason for this (where in the world are they supposed to go to for dates??), and so in my story the characters ARE allowed to go to Hogsmeade. If you think 12 is a little young for the characters, imagine that they are older or something. 

Thanks for reading! 

~aerialspire 


	2. Enter the Stage

Enter the Stage

The sun was just barely up, the air still chill and misty, and already down in the Quidditch field, there was a stand-off between Gryffindor and Slytherin. 

"I booked the field!" Wood shouted, shaking his head in fury as he watched the Slytherin team approach. 

"Get off the field, this is our practice time!" 

The rest of the Gryffindor team landed and gathered around Wood. They had gotten up early for their first practice of the season, just a couple days into the school year at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Flint chuckled. 

"Ah," he said, "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. _'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new seeker.'_ " 

"New Seeker?" Wood asked. He scanned the Slytherins standing shoulder to shoulder before him. They parted slightly to reveal a vicious smirk on none other than Draco Malfoy's face. 

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" Fred asked in distaste. At this, Flint grinned nastily. 

"Funny you should mention Draco's father. Let me show you the _generous_ gift he's made to the Slytherin team." All the Slytherins smiled broadly as they held out brand new broomsticks. Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. The gold lettering flashed in the faint sun. 

"Very latest model. Only came out last month." Flint casually flicked a speck of dust from his own. The Gryffindors were silent. Several of them had Cleansweep Fives, pitiful compared to the new brooms. Behind them, Ron and Hermione began to trek across the field to see what was going on. 

Up above them in the air, a figure was alerted to the commotion below. She was perched precariously, but confidently, upon what could be called broomstick, though it was silver and had no twigs. Rather, it had magical carvings on one end. In the wee hours of the morning she had been stretching in various poses along the silver stick, floating it still in the air, but now she stood up on it. Carefully tilting one foot downwards and the other up, she began to glide gently toward the students gathered on the field. Her hair was shining black and short, slightly layered. The cut rounded off her head and gave her a pixie-ish look combined with her mischievous smile, though right now it was absent, her mouth pushed off to the side in curiosity. Unnoticed by the students deep in argument, she observed the scene. 

"What's happening?" Ron asked as he and Hermione reached the group. "Why aren't you playing? And what's _he_ doing here?" He jerked his head toward Malfoy suspiciously. 

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasely," Malfoy said. "Everyone's just been admiring the new brooms my father bought." Ron stared in awe at the row of seven superb broomsticks. 

"Good, aren't they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." 

The Slytherins roared with laughter. 

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in," Hermione said sharply, "_They_ got in for pure talent." She flicked her hair snobbishly. 

Cold, mocking laughter rang through the air. Simultaneously, everyone's heads snapped up to see the girl hovering slightly above them upon the silver stick. Her eyes were surprisingly bright and her expression was mostly cold except for the faintest hint of a smirk. She was dressed in all black except for silver, pink-studded wristbands wrapped around both wrists. An almost transparent, aquamarine cape swirled around her. 

"Actually, Miss Granger," she said, "Mr. Malfoy here is _quite_ the excellent flyer." Her eyes flashed. Then her cold expression dropped like a mask and her eyes warmed as her impish grin broke out. "But that was an _awesome_ comeback." Everyone stared at her sudden change of expression. Malfoy narrowed his eyes, unsure what to make of her. She turned to look at him. 

"Well?" she asked, one eyebrow raised and her foot tapping expectantly. "Aren't you going to say something back?" Her tone turned malicious. "A dirty, _muddy_ word perhaps? I wouldn't recommend that, if I were you." And her tone changed expression again, now thoughtful. "Though there _is_ the possibility that Ron's wand might backfire." 

At first Malfoy just stared, completely bewildered, and then he sneered at her. She sneered right back at him, thinking, _Ha! He can't beat my sneer._

"Shut up." Malfoy snapped. "This is between me and the filthy little mudblood." There was instant chaos at the last word. Flint grabbed Fred and George to prevent them from jumping on Malfoy. The Gryffindor girls gasped and Alicia shrieked, "How dare you?" while Ron snatched out his wand and yelled, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" The wand was knocked from his grasp, however, and he looked up in surprise to see the girl's wand floating in front of him. The varnish gleamed gold and inviting in front of him, but he didn't accept her offer. Furious, he grabbed his own again and pointed it to Malfoy. A loud bang echoed around the stadium and green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach. He reeled backward and fell onto the grass. Hermione scurried over to him. 

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" In response, Ron belched out several huge, slimy, slugs. The Slytherins were practically paralyzed with laughter, all except Malfoy. Draco was staring up suspiciously at the girl, who had her arms crossed over her chest and an "I-told-you-so," expression on her face. Now he understood her words. Somehow she had known what would happen. She met his gaze and shrugged, before turning back to observe the scene. 

Malfoy was furious she had bested him, somehow knowing what he was about to do and mocking him for it. He noticed her wand was still clutched in Ron's grasp. Quickly, maliciously, he shot a hex at her. But to his surprise, she merely waved the jet of light casually away and it bounced right back at him. Eyes wide, he jumped just out of its way. She hadn't even looked at him as she did it, but now she turned and smirked at him. She quickly turned her attention back to Ron, though, as he was trying to speak to her. 

"What are you doing?!?" he shouted before another belch. He, too, had caught on to the meaning of her words and was both humiliated and angry he had not used her wand. Calmly, she replied, 

"I don't _do_ charity, Weasely. I just offer help when it suits my fancy. It's not like I feel sorry for you. Why would I feel sorry for you? You've got it made: a family, friends, and awesome school, some awesome enemies..." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't _do_ pity, 'specially when it isn't needed." In spite of her words, he was still humiliated. Ooze dribbled down his throat but he ignored it. 

"Whose side are you on anyway?" 

She cocked her head. 

"Mine. Didn't you realize that already?" She held her hand out. "Since you obviously aren't going to use it, can I have my wand back?" 

Frustrated, Ron was about to shoot a spell at her, when he found his wand lifted high out of his grasp. 

"Tut, tut," she mocked. "Wouldn't want to do that. Remember what happened last time? And I said I want my wand back." Without waiting for an answer, she flicked her fingers. The wand flew toward her, pausing only for one spin to hit the back of Draco's head. He had attempted to hex her again. Once again, the spell had bounced off. 

Hermione watched enviously as her fingers closed around the wand. Noticing this, the girl commented, 

"Archibald Corzicon." It was the name of the author of several books in the restricted section of the library. Hermione realized she was telling her where to find that spell and ticked it off in her head to check out his books the next time she was there. 

Now with her wand safely in her hand, the girl flicked it at Ron and his wand mended instantly. 

"Oh, break it up," she snapped at the other Slytherins and Gryffindors, who were wrestling on the ground. They found themselves thrown apart. Glaring at her, they tackled their opponent once again. She shrugged and turned back to the three friends. 

"Come on, let's get you to Hagrid's," Harry said to Ron. Hermione nodded and they helped hold Ron up. Harry had watched the whole exchange quietly, thinking. Now Colin, who had been unable to do anything but stare, starstruck, came over and danced around them, attempting to take pictures. 

"No pictures," Harry said, pushing his camera down. "Get out of the way." 

"What happened?" Colin persisted. "Is he ok? Who is that girl?" 

The girl swooped down and sat on her stick to be at eye level with him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried on while Colin was distracted. Behind them, they could hear the girl talking. 

"The Slytherins were trying to take over the Gryffindor's Quidditch practice, and Ron's wand backfired when he did a spell. He'll be ok, though, it'll wear off. My name is Kiana Opal, I'm transferring from Durmstrang." Her tone had turned to one of an adult explaining who is the good guy and who is the bad guy to a child during a movie. 

"What does your name mean? Opal, like the stone?" 

"Yes, opal like the stone. And Kiana is the last part of my longer name. It's in a different language." 

"What language?" 

"I don't think you've heard of it. But my name, in a direct translation, means 'Dream of the Seaglass', so Kiana means glass." 

"That's an odd name." 

"Not where I come from." 

"Oh, so everyone is named like that at Durmstrang? What's Durmstrang like?" 

"No, everyone has different names. I meant where I live. And Durmstrang doesn't like us telling other students too much about it..." 

~*~

Harry, Hermione, and Ron left Hagrid's hut a little while later, after Ron had mostly finished throwing up slugs. Passing by Professor McGonagall, she informed Ron and Harry that their detentions for driving a flying car to school would take place that night. Then she paused uncertainly. 

"Have you seen the transfer student? I hear she caused quite an uproar this morning." 

"Uproar?" Ron asked. 

Professor McGonagall looked uncomfortable. 

"Lucius Malfoy came to Dumbledore's office just a few minutes ago complaining about her arrival. Well, if you see her, tell her that Dumbledore wishes to speak to her, ok? And do please try to make her feel welcome. She comes from a very different place." 

Hermione and Harry nodded quickly, but Ron gave only a curt nod. As soon as Professor McGonagall was gone, they began to talk about her. 

"Try to make her feel welcome?" Ron demanded, "Looks like she doesn't need any welcoming. She already acts like she owns the place." 

"Don't be mean, Ron, she's just a little...outgoing. This is her first day here, cut her a little slack," Hermione said. 

"She's rude is what you mean! And all those spells she was showing off! Really flashy but I bet you're much better than her." 

"Actually, those look like pretty complicated spells. She just made them look easy," Harry said. 

"And she probably just feels a need to assert herself," Hermione added, "She wasn't trying to show off." 

"She must have been really influential in her old school. She wanted to arrive with a big BANG! sort of like everyone is accusing _us_ of," Harry said. Ron grinned. 

"She knows just what to say to make people do what she wants them to. I mean, you know you're going to go to the library to check out that book she mentioned," Harry said, turning to Hermione. "She's kind of like a master conductor, controlling the whole orchestra." He stopped talking abruptly when he saw Kiana standing in the doorway of an empty classroom. She had been exploring the school when she overheard them talking. Now she grinned, her eyebrows raised. 

"I'm glad you think so highly of me, but really, I'm just a normal girl, trying to make friends," she said. Ron snorted. 

"You call that trying to make friends?" he asked. Hermione shot him a warning glance and smiled warmly at her. Hermione was about to make some corny comment about how they would be her friends, but Kiana laughed right as she was about to speak. 

"I didn't say I was trying to fit in, I said I was trying to make friends. There's a difference," Kiana said. 

Hermione agreed with her. Ron had actually meant "fit in" when he said "make friends." She most definitely did not fit in. 

"You couldn't fit in if you tried," she said, somehow knowing that would please her. Now Ron shot her a surprised, you're-a-hypocrite glance. She ignored him, and as she had predicted, Kiana smiled faintly, looking pleased. 

"You might want to try being a bit less eristic, though," Hermione said, "Or I doubt your methods will be very successful." 

"Less eristic?" Kiana looked amused. "It is my nature to be contrary and divisive." Hermione was impressed that she knew what eristic meant, though slightly annoyed at her cavalier treatment of her advice. 

"Thanks for the advice though," Kiana said. "I'll think about what you said." She whirled, her cape curling through the air, and began to walk away. 

Hermione highly doubted she would give more than a passing thought to what she had said. Actually, Kiana's tone of voice had held an undercurrent of amusement. Hermione couldn't tell if she had said it to be sarcastic or polite. 

"She's a real oddball, isn't she," Hermione muttered. Far ahead of her in the corridor, Kiana turned around. 

"I prefer peculiar," she called. Hermione's eyes widened as Kiana turned around once again and walked out of sight. 

"And she's got an awfully keen sense of hearing," Harry added. They didn't know that far ahead of her, Kiana smiled slightly when she heard their words. They thought she couldn't hear them, but she really did have an "awfully keen sense of hearing." 

~*~

**A/N:** PLEASE REVIEW! I loved writing this story and I hope you love reading it too! If you do, REVIEW, if you didn't, REVIEW! :) thanks. 


	3. The Sorting

The Sorting

Kiana stood politely outside of Dumbledore's office, but before she even knocked, he called out, 

"Come in, Kiana." She knew immediately that Dumbledore was fairy kindred like herself. He smiled warmly when she entered and though she knew Dumbledore wouldn't really mind if she sat down, she waited for him to tell her first anyway. 

"I trust you have found Hogwarts to be accommodating?" he asked. She nodded. She had arrived at midnight yesterday, but still woke up early. She hadn't needed much sleep after napping the majority of the trip. 

"Thank you so much for inviting me here," she said. It had been Dumbledore's idea for her to transfer from Durmstrang. He knew that like Harry, she was wanted by Voldemort. She had gained special powers after walking the fairy plane (though not intentionally,) over the summer and becoming fairy kindred. Voldemort would find her a useful tool or else force her to make one of the highly dangerous fairy weapons. Unlike Harry, however, Dumbledore was not entirely sure she would be able to withstand Voldemort's persuasions. She did have a good heart and would probably start off with the intention of changing Voldemort instead, but the opposite might happen. She had an uncanny way of looking past a person's deeds and faults to see the person inside, and sympathize with their pain, possibly to the danger of herself or others. 

Dumbledore both wanted to keep her safe as well as keep an eye on her. He had merely mentioned the former, of course, when inviting her to transfer. He knew he would have to be careful now. Hogwarts had originally not accepted her because of her volatile, antagonistic character. The invitation had been sent last minute, and she had accepted several days after school started. She did know how to be polite when she wanted, and he had hoped she would try to blend in. Apparently, that was not her plan. She wanted to make a grand entrance, and the fact that she arrived several days after the school year had already started only compounded that fact. 

"There is still danger, however," he said. Kiana knew what was coming next and felt her heart sink. Even though she knew it was futile, she couldn't help resisting. 

"I will try to avoid dangerous situations, of course," she assured him. 

"Be that as it may," Dumbledore said," I still have to ask you to try not to draw so much attention to yourself. Already, Lucius Malfoy has come to speak to me about you. As tempting as it may be, I must ask you to not flaunt your powers." He smiled. 

"I do have good news, however. The ministry has approved your pet dragon, seeing that it is tame and of a powerful, though relatively harmless breed. Remember, though, if you use it to hurt any fellow student, it will be confiscated." Kiana nodded quickly. "And it must still be kept secret from the other students." Dumbledore added. Kiana smiled. They both knew she hadn't kept it locked in its cage until the ministry approved it like she was supposed to. Right at this moment, it was curled around her neck in its usual place, though she had charmed it to make it invisible. Her hair was short enough for it to not touch her hair and therefore reveal its prescence. 

"I would suggest transforming it," Dumbledore continued, "so students aren't surprised by seemingly impossible occurrences." Kiana nodded again, though reluctantly. She would rather like seeing their surprised faces if it decided to do something. It was very protective of its owner. 

"Well, you may go now," Dumbledore said, "You will be sorted tonight and you might want to change into your Hogwarts robes now. Remember, if you have any problems, you can come to me." 

Kiana smiled politely and said thank you once more before leaving. But before she had reached the door, Dumbledore added, 

"Your powers?" Sighing a little, she turned them off. 

~*~

Hermione was hurrying back to the Gryffindor common room from the library, her arms laden with books by Archibald Corzicon, when she passed by Kiana. She immediately knew something was wrong. Her head looked like it was hanging, though that did not seem to be the fault of the cat that was curled her neck. (An Egyptian Mau, if Hermione was not mistaken.) The spring and confidence was gone from her step. She somehow looked deflated and vulnerable. 

"Are you all right, Kiana?" she asked, coming over to walk beside her. 

Kiana looked up. Her face was completely blank and her eyes wide. 

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Hermione couldn't tell whether or not there was a hint of bitterness or sarcasm. She hadn't known Kiana long enough to tell. 

"Are you sure?" 

Kiana thought quickly, scanning various options. Hermione was smart enough to figure it out soon, so she might as well help her along, she decided. Now she let her face show how upset she was. 

"Not really. I just got back from talking to Dumbledore." 

Hermione winced in sympathetic pain. She dreaded talking to Dumbledore except for a good thing, and from Kiana's expression, it was not for a good thing. 

"What did he say?" 

"He won't let me do a lot of things I usually do," was the quiet reply. Kiana suddenly seemed to brighten and become normal again. She ran briefly on a breeze that wafted through the window, her feet flitting just above the ground. "I can't walk on wind," she said. Her feet suddenly looked heavy. As she began to list, the vibrancy, the vivacity that made up her spirit seemed to die down. "I can't use my enhanced hearing." Her head seemed to hang without actually doing so. "My pet isn't allowed to help or protect me." The cat around her neck seemed to shrivel up, lose its elegance and confidence. "But most of all, I want my kaleidoscope!" she said, and ran away looking like she was about to cry. 

Hermione paused, thinking about the girl's cryptic reply. Then with a sigh, she turned around to do some research in the library she had just left. 

~*~

Kiana wasn't the type to cry. She had mostly exaggerated all of her expressions for Hermione's benefit. Very few of her emotions ever showed on her face, and she had to put them there for people to see. Of course, this was useful when she _didn't_ want people to know what she felt. Once Hermione was gone, she dropped her expression and continued wandering around. There wasn't a particular place for her to go, not having been sorted yet. 

She pulled herself up to walk proud and sure when she saw Flint rounding the corner. His eyes held a challenge and she met it defiantly. Dumbledore's words echoed in her head. _Don't flaunt your powers._

"So it's the new girl," Flint said. He eyed her up and down. She was now in her Hogwarts robes but she was still wearing all black underneath them. She only had one wristband on her left wrist now, and a chain of tiny, semi-precious stones was wrapped around her waist, one end dangling with a pendant at the end of it. She paused to give him a blank, cold look, then tried to pass by him. 

"Uh uh," Flint said, holding out his arm to stop her. She flashed him an irritated but still superior look. With a quick spell, his arm was shoved away and she pushed past. She really wasn't in the mood for this. Flint was shocked she would do such a thing. Usually second years were scared of him! It was time to put her in her place. Grabbing her wand as she passed, he attempted to back her into a corner. 

To his surprise, she just barely gave an uninterested glance out of the corners of her eyes at her wand clutched in his hand. Unbeknownst to him, that was actually one of her weak spare wands. Her real, powerful ones were still hidden up her sleeves, ready to be dispatched at an instant's notice. She decided her multiple wands was an advantage she shouldn't disclose to him yet. But she wouldn't let him back her into a corner. She just continued walking along the corridor, though diagonally to avoid Flint's leering face, as if she was merely walking around something. Finally, though, he had pushed her against the wall. 

"What do you want?" she asked, throwing him an exasperated look. He wiggled her wand in front of her, then leaned forward in a manner he apparently thought was intimidating. 

"You may know all those fancy spells," he said, "But when it comes down to hand-to-hand fighting, you can't hold your own." He tossed the wand over his shoulder and brought his fists up threateningly, expecting her to cower. She had a very slim, pliant build, and looked harmless. But to his surprise, her eyes narrowed. With a flick of her wrist, the wristband that had been glowing with pink studs was suddenly atop her knuckles, flashing sharpened spikes instead of gems. Her other hand twirled the once bejeweled chain that had been around her waist, but now it was thick and black and dangerous. 

"You wanna bet?" she asked, wincing inside at her own cliched saying. She felt her "cat" perch upon her shoulder, hissing and preparing to leap. She patted him gently, forcing him to back down as she remembered Dumbledore's warning. Flint would find it mighty odd that a cat managed to scorch him. Kiana had opted for an illusion as opposed to a transformation, so that her dragon would keep its powers. Flint glared, refusing to back down. 

"So, you're gonna go armed against an unarmed opponent," he spat, "How...ladylike." The feminine crack had worked on every girl he had ever tried it on. It didn't work on her. It wasn't unfair to play to your advantages, she thought. 

"So, you're gonna go against a girl that is 5 years younger than you and also probably 300 pounds lighter." She tossed her head. "How very...manly." Flint sneered, but inwardly realized she was a dangerous opponent. She had dropped deftly into a fighting position that showed off her good training. 

"I don't have time to play games, little girl," he said, "But watch your back. I hope you get sorted into Slytherin: you won't last a day there." He whirled and strode away quickly. Kiana glared at his retreating back. He's a real nasty one, she thought. 

She hurried away, pleased with herself. So what if she couldn't use her powers? She still had a few tricks up her sleeve. 

~*~

At dinner that night, Dumbledore stood up. 

"We have a new student," he announced. "She is transferring from Durmstrang. She arrived earlier today. I think she may have met some of you already, and I trust you all will make her feel welcome. We will sort her now." 

Professor McGonagall pulled out the stool and sorting hat. 

"Students, this is Lakela Fiare," she announced. Kiana came out from a side door. 

"Call me Kiana Opal, please," she said politely. Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and glanced over to Dumbledore for approval. Had the girl made up a name for herself? But Dumbledore nodded and Professor McGonagall said, 

"Very well, Kiana." 

Kiana sat down on the stool and Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on her head. It didn't bother to sing a song. The students had heard it just a couple days ago, and it hadn't had enough time to come up with a new one anyway. 

_Interesting,_ said the voice in her ear. _I haven't had one this hard since the famous Harry Potter. Ah, you wonder what he was like? I cannot tell you, but seeing as your curiosity is quite balanced, that shouldn't be too hard for you to deal with. Hmmm._

Kiana waited calmly. She really didn't care what house she got in, as long as it was not Hufflepuff. The Hufflepuffs were nice and friendly, but also trusting and gullible. She didn't think of herself that way. _You would fit best into Slytherin,_ the hat mused, _But you share many qualities with the Gryffindors. I'll let you choose. After all, I let Harry influence my decision with him. So what will it be, Gryffindor or Slytherin?_

Kiana certainly hadn't expected to be given a choice. How would she ever decide? She thought for a moment. Why will I fit better into Slytherin? she asked. _You're good at lying,_ was the reply. _You're very private and like to hide your feelings and thoughts. You're also very good at getting what you want, very good at manipulation, though you don't use it for malicious intentions. In that way you're like a Gryffindor. In Slytherin you'll have to play a tricky game to get what you want. Gryffindors will be a lot easier to manipualte._

The thought appealed to her. But did she want to go in Gryffindor, where she could easily get what she wanted, or Slytherin, where she would fit in? And it certainly wouldn't be a very good motive to choose Gryffindor just to get her way. She knew she'd feel guilty later. 

_The Gryffindors will find you rather overwhelming,_ the hat continued. _I'm not quite sure I want to unleash you on them. But they will do you more good than the Slytherins._

Kiana wasn't quite sure what the hat meant. Gryffindors were generally more welcoming and friendly, but she knew the friends she made in Slytherin would be tighter, even if she would make more in Gryffindor. Or would she? Kiana knew she had a very unusual way of dealing with people that the Gryffindors might not like. 

The hat remained silent. Inwardly she scowled and felt the hat chuckle a little at her annoyance. She pulled her mind away to consider the feel she had gotten for the different houses. Gryffindor had a noble reputation. Slytherins had a darker, more sinister reputation. The darker edge of things appealed to her. She had always skirted the edges of badness, even in the muggle world. She wasn't some bad-girl wannabe, a goody goody who liked to fancy herself a bad girl. She actually knew some stuff, had been part of some things that most Gryffindors would never even consider. And that darker reputation, that arrogant, conniving mind-set was calling to her. She didn't know why. The image of being pure and lovely and kind also appealed to her, though sometimes being too happy-go-lucky made her feel annoyed and condescending. She was totally confused. 

While Kiana thought, the whole school watched her in silence. Snape's eyes were slightly narrowed. McGonagall's face was stern. Dumbledore was worried. The students were curious about this transfer student the sorting hat was taking so long to decide on. Hermione and Harry were watching the barely there play of emotions across her face. They changed so rapidly, neither could tell what she was thinking. 

The idea that she would get her way in Gryffindor popped up again. Don't even think about that! she told herself. That's not a good reason. There are plenty of other things to consider. Immediately Flint's threat popped into her head, and she had to tell herself not to use that as a motive either. She desperately wanted to prove him wrong, but that was _really_ not a good reason to choose Slytherin. 

Think about the people, she finally decided. Hermione, who she had taken a liking to, was in Gryffindor. So was Harry, the famous one. He had a quiet strength that Kiana liked. And what about Slytherin? There was Draco, who she had also taken a liking too. He had a defiant, aristocratic air that was similar to her own. Well, two versus one, Kiana told herself. I choose Gryffindor. 

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. In her ear, it whispered just a few last words. _Not exactly the best of reasons,_ it said, _ But better than the others. If you had chosen to go by them, I would have had to put you in the house **I** felt was best._ Which was? Kiana asked. But the hat was silent again. Reluctantly, she pulled it off. 

Harry noted her slight reluctance with interest, and Hermione with disappointment, as Kiana began to walk to the Gryffindor table. The hall applauded politely as she took a seat beside Hermione. She had a very careful expression on, and returned every glance with the same expression she had been given: a rather superficial but polite one from Parvati, a shy but sweet one from Lavender, a warm one from Hermione... She frowned at Draco's frown. Harry made sure his smile was friendly and welcoming, and she returned it with warmth. 

The rest of dinner was filled with small talk. Kiana kept to rather evasive answers. By the end of dinner, neither Harry, Hermione, nor Ron felt like they knew Kiana much better at all. 

**A/N:**The next few chapters will clear up any questions you have about Kiana. As you have probably noticed by now, she is not a normal girl. Please review! thanks. 


	4. Kindred of the Fae

Kindred of the Fae

Hermione found Kiana in their shared dormitory the next day. To her surprise, the bookcases, beds, mirrors, dressers, and even the windows were rearranged! 

Kiana was sitting crosslegged, floating in the air, as she adjusted the garland that decorated the top of one shelf. Hermione honestly couldn't see much of a difference. 

"What are you doing?" she asked. Kiana spun in the air to face her. 

"Look." 

Kiana's wand flicked and Hermione found herself being lifted up like Kiana was. From her vantage point by the ceiling, she saw. The room looked totally different, like a whole new world. The tops of furniture and the ledges of the windows made pathways or comfy spots. She noticed there was a bed on top of the bookcase where Kiana had been adjusting the garland. She hadn't been able to see any of it down on the floor because of the way it was arranged. 

"Wow," Hermione said. She was both awed by the sight and pleasantly surprised Kiana trusted her enough to show her this. It was obviously her secret spot, a place of refuge. 

"Why'd you show me this?" 

"'Cause you don't like heights and you won't come up here unless you have to," Kiana stated. 

It was true. By showing Hermione, Kiana had not undermined the privacy of the place unless Hermione told, which she had no intention of doing. 

"And because you asked," Kiana added as an afterthought, flicking her wand almost absentmindedly. Hermione was lowered carefully to the ground. She watched as Kiana dashed silently away to someplace up there. Then her feet touched the ground and she could no longer see. She sat down at the table to do homework. She actually liked this arrangement better. A few moments later, Kiana popped out upside down, hanging from her feet by the bookcase across from Hermione. 

"And maybe just because I wanted to show someone," she said, finally completely her answer to Hermione's question. She flipped back up to her little world up there. Smiling, Hermione turned back to her homework. 

Kiana was playing some muggle music rather loudly. With its catchy tune and strong beat, Hermione was finding it rather distracting. 

"Can you turn that music down a little?" she asked. As a response, the music immediately shut off. The sudden silence was a little unnerving. 

"Well, maybe you could play it, just softer," she said. 

"How about this?" Kiana asked. Mozart floated softly from the ceiling. "I hear it makes you smarter." 

"It's perfect, thank you," Hermione said. Shaking her head with amusement, she dipped her quill into her inkpot. For all Kiana might seem cold and unreachable, she did try to please. 

Suddenly Hermione jumped up. What Kiana had just showed her reminded her of something she had read a while ago. 

"I've got to go, I'll see you later," she called as she ran out of the room. 

~*~

"See, look right here," Hermione said excitedly to Ron and Harry, pointing to a spot on the page. They were in the common room, bent over a book, after dinner. Hermione had finally found the one she was looking for. 

"Kiana is fairy kindred!" 

Hermione read out loud from the book: 

"The fairy plane is the alternate universe where fairies reside. It somehow seems to intercept the 'home plane', as the plane where human beings live is called, in all places. Though fairies often come over to the home plane (and are considered outcasts by many tribes of fairies in the fairy plane), very few humans cross over to the fairy plane. No one knows exactly how or why it happens, but occasionally, some extraordinary human beings _are_ allowed to walk the fairy plane. They are called fairy kindred. 

For whatever reason, when they return to the home plane, they have special powers, possibly given to them as gifts from the fae, or a mark of their belonging. One of their abilities is the ability to walk on air, specifically wind, though only in the direction it is blowing. Others include exceptional hearing and healing powers. But perhaps the most exceptional of them all is the ability to see into the near future. 

It is often described as a kaleidoscope. Like in the center of a kaleidoscope, where you see what is actually there and not a reflection from the mirrors, there is one spot in the center of their vision that shows what will most likely happen, if they do what they are most likely to do. Arranged around this scene, however, are variations of it in the case that they do something different. The ones on the very edges are often cut off because they show what is highly unlikely to happen. This ability allows them to choose the path of action that will get the reaction they desire. All of their abilities can be turned off easily, when they so desire. 

A few fairy kindred take home with them a pet from the fairy plane, but few are given this honor. Most of these pets are outlawed in the wizarding world. However, in the fear of upsetting the fairies by refusing their gift, the Ministry of Magic often makes exceptions for them. They are completely tame, having been tamed by the fairies prior to the gift-giving. 

Fairy kindred are usually imaginative, carefree, capricious, and have a penchant for heights. They start off this way naturally, but these qualities become more pronounced after walking the fairy plane. Many fairy kindred have been known for making their homes on top of the furniture in their houses. For instance, the top of a wide bookcase might serve as a bed, lined with a blanket and pillow. These "extra homes" are comfy but cannot be seen from below." 

"What does this have to do with Kiana?" Ron asked. 

"She's fairy kindred!" 

"How do you know?" Harry asked. 

"I saw her coming back from Dumbledore's office and she told me he told her she's not allowed to walk on wind or-" Hermione looked up to see Kiana. She was standing at the top of the stairs. Her hand was on her hip and her eyes flashed sparks. 

"What are you doing?" Her tone was challenging. She walked down the stairs toward them. Hermione blinked uncertainly. What was Kiana mad about? 

"I was just telling Harry and Ron about-" 

"Why are you telling them? What makes you think you can tell them that? If I want them to know, I'll tell them myself." 

Hermione was at a loss for words. She couldn't imagine keeping anything from Harry and Ron. She hadn't even considered not telling them. She tried to explain. 

"Harry and Ron are my best friends-" she began. Kiana cut her off. 

"Just because they are _your_ best friends and you trust them and doesn't mean that _I_-" Kiana stopped in the middle of her sentence, her eyes suddenly darting to Harry and Ron. Harry just looked at her. She flashed him a brief and over-bright smile. 

"I won't tell anyone," he said quietly. 

"Ok," Kiana said, sounding a little sheepish. Then she regained her fire and turned back to Hermione. 

"But that's not the point. Everything, _everything_ I say is confidential, whether it's about me or others. I never tell people what other people told me and I expect you to do the same." 

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, "I won't do it again." 

"Ok, make sure you don't," Kiana said, her anger appeased. Harry and Hermione were both glad to see her normal again. Ron looked a little confused. 

"Since we already know," Harry said, "can you tell us what it was like walking the fairy plane?" 

"It's kind of hard to describe," Kiana said, but with a smile. "I'll tell you some other time." She gave a little wave and disappeared back upstairs. 

**A/N:** I hope you like this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!! 


	5. Friends and Fights

Friends and fights

Kiana sat in her dorm upstairs after telling Hermione off. She was pleasantly surprised at how nice Hermione had been, though she did feel a little uncertain and guilty about her own behavior. Losing her temper, especially in front of Harry! And it wasn't as if Ron and Harry wouldn't have found out about her secret anyways. Actually, she felt suspicious that secretly she had _wanted_ Hermione to tell. Being fairy kindred made her special, even if it was somewhat unusual. Josh, her boyfriend from Durmstrang, had called it "peculiar." 

She smiled when she saw an eagle land at the windowsill, recognizing it immediately as Josh's. She took the letter off quickly and climbed the bookcase to sit in the huge crumble of blankets she had placed atop it. She paused for a second to savor her anticipation before opening it. 

_Dear Kiana, _

How is it in Hogwarts? Do you like it there? Durmstrang is strange without you. We're working on creating new jinxes in Professor Steinbeck's class. It's still very boring right now. We're just modifying existing ones. I have to turn the jelly-legs hex into jelly-arms. I can just imagine you adding all sorts of side effects to your jinxes and pretending it was an accident. Remember that time in Experimental Theory when we were testing new wand designs and you purposely made a crack? That was so funny! Mrs. Zirfror made the funniest face when she tried a spell and it went in the wrong direction. Well, I'm off to Aerial Competency. We all miss you. Have fun at Hogwarts. 

Love, 

Josh 

**xXx**

Kiana laughed and jumped down from the bookcase. She had to think about what she would write. She wasn't quite sure what to say. Before she had left for Hogwarts, they had agreed to part. Long distance relationships weren't known for working very well. She remembered their goodbye. Both of them had put it off until the very last moment. Josh was not very sentimental, but he had still said, "I'll miss you." It wasn't the three words Kiana had hoped to hear, but they still made her smile. She could imagine perfectly his face, a little paler than usual, his eyes a slightly pleading. As much as she tried to, she couldn't remember his exact words. He had made her make a sort of promise. It was something along the lines of keeping a special bond between them. Not quite a relationship, because they were still allowed to date other people, but something more than friendship. And when she was out of Hogwarts, or transferred back to Durmstrang, they would seek each other out and perhaps get back together again. It was like their relationship was being put on hold by her leaving instead of being destroyed. 

She had kissed him as her agreement, first each corner of his mouth and then on it, telling him those three kisses would be her way of affirming their promise. It was those three kisses the xXx in his letter was supposed to represent. 

~*~

The next day was the weekend. Kiana was glad that she would have two full days to catch up on all the work she had missed. On the way to the Great Hall, Kiana saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron in front of her. Almost without thinking she ran to catch up with them. 

"Hey," she said. 

Hermione turned around and smiled, glad that Kiana was obviously not mad anymore. Seeing that Ron was about turn a corner, Kiana, said, 

"Oh, I know a shorter way!" 

"You've only been here two days and you already know a shortcut?" Ron said. Kiana shrugged. 

"They come in handy." 

Kiana led them down a corridor they wouldn't have noticed otherwise, it was so well disguised by a tapestry and a suit of armor. There was another staircase at the end of it, bringing them right to the hallway outside the Great Hall. Kiana couldn't resist sliding down the rail. She slid smoothly, quickly, expertly...and straight into a dirty, hunched figure trudging past. 

"Oh hello!" she said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself." 

"You shouldn't have needed to," the man said, with a wrinkle of his nose. Kiana noticed his cheeks sagged and jiggled a little as he talked. She tried to avoid looking at them. "It's against the school ruules to slide down staircases. I'm going to have to-" 

"Ok, don't worry," Kiana broke in, "I'm new here, I didn't know, but you won't see me doing that again!" Kiana saluted. The man stared at her. He was starting to really annoy her. 

"New? Well, you'll get off this time, but next time I catch you doing that, you're going to get a detention," he said, and shuffled away. Kiana ran back up the stairs. 

"Who was that?" 

"That's Filch, the school's caretaker," Harry said, a grin breaking out on his face. "I've never seen anyone treat him like that before." 

Kiana couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not, so she just smiled tentatively at him. Then she jumped back on the rail and slid down again, feeling very aware of the three watching her. 

Hermione dashed down the stairs. 

"Didn't you hear what Filch just said?" Hermione asked, looking shocked. 

"Of course I did," Kiana said, "But he made that rule up out of spite. I only follow rules that have good reason to follow them." 

"You sound like my brothers!" Ron said. 

"Oh really? I'd like the meet them." 

~*~

Once they had reached the Great Hall, Ron led the way over to where Fred and George were sitting. They looked up when he arrived. 

"Kiana, these are my brothers, Fred and George." 

"Hello," Fred said, "I'm George." 

"Pleased to meetcha, I'm Fred," George said. 

"Really now?" Kiana said, tilting her head and tapping her mouth with her first finger. 

"I think you're Fred," she waggled her finger at Fred, "And _you're_ George." She waggled her finger at George. 

"Whoa, we must be losing our touch!" George said, catching her waggling finger. 

"But we'll get it back," Fred said. He patted George on the back. 

"Here, a chocolate for the first person to tell us apart." George pressed a candy into Kiana's hand. 

"Don't eat that!" Harry warned. "They've probably done something to it." 

Kiana turned to glare accusingly at them. 

"Harry, now why would you think such a thing?" Fred said, feigning surprise. 

"Yes, we merely meant to reward such a fine young lady as your friend here for telling us apart," George added. 

All of them were grinning by now, and Ron made his way over to his usual seat to sit down. It didn't look like they were going to finish talking anytime soon now. Hermione came too. Kiana sat down to talk to Fred and George. After a few minutes, Harry made his way over as well. 

"What are they talking about now?" Ron asked. 

"Pranks," Harry said, and filled his mouth with waffle. 

Harry glanced over at Kiana. She seemed to be waiting for either Fred or George to take a huge bite before asking them a question. (Particularly questions that one would like to answer quickly.) They were all laughing. She herself made sure to take tiny bites she could still talk through, in the case that they reciprocated the prank. He wished she was sitting in the empty seat across from him instead of over there. 

~*~

Kiana finally finished all her homework by late afternoon. She would have liked to meet a few more people instead of working, but because Hermione had decided to start some sort of homework marathon, Kiana decided to join her. She would have at least split the work between the two days of the weekend, but since Hermione was helping her catch up, Kiana really didn't feel like interrupting her. Feeling rather dizzy from all the reading and writing, Kiana decided to take a walk. The halls were starting to fill up with people coming for dinner. Now would be a good time to meet people, she realized, and smiled at everyone who caught her eye. Most people were surprised she was smiling at them, and gave her a very hasty, unnatural smile. 

One girl with short, cute blond hair, smiled very sweetly back. Kiana was going to talk to her, but someone else called her away. 

"Hannah!" 

Kiana mentally took note of her name. Hannah. Behind her, she heard someone say, 

"-so Father bought me a snake. I-" 

Kiana whirled around before he could finish his sentence, saying, 

"You have a pet snake?" She found herself facing Draco Malfoy and some other guy with dark hair and eyes. She fell into step with them. 

"I love snakes! What kind do you have?" 

"A python," Draco said. He smiled with just the left side of his mouth. "They make excellent pillows." 

"Pillows?" Kiana asked, almost stopping in her steps, "You stuffed it?" 

"No, no." Draco threw back his head and laughed. "He's alive. I just coil him up and use him as a pillow." 

"Really?" Kiana said, smiling. She glanced at the boy beside Draco. He looked at her but did not show any expression and didn't speak. 

"It's quite soft, actually, and because he's cold-blooded it doesn't get hot," Draco said. 

"That's awesome!" Kiana said. "I want one now. What'd you name him?" 

"I don't know. Do you have any ideas?" 

Kiana took up her thinking pose. Draco smirked and then couldn't help it; he started laughing at her. 

"What??" 

"You!" 

She pointedly ignored him. 

"I have an idea," she said, "Name him Snape. It's snake except with a p for python." 

Finally the boy walking with Draco made a sound. He laughed. Kiana liked his laugh. It was quiet and agreeable. Still, she didn't like him laughing at her, so she turned to Draco. He had the oddest expression on, and when he saw her puzzled face, he burst out laughing too. 

"What is it with you and laughing?" Kiana was starting to think he was a bit crazier than she had thought at first. Draco made a funny sound in his throat and stopped laughing quickly. He usually didn't laugh like this. 

"Nothing, it's just that Snape is the name of a Professor here." 

"Oh. Oh!" Kiana started laughing, too, which for some reason made the guy with Draco stop laughing. It was getting on her nerves. 

"I don't believe I've met you," she said, "What's your name?" 

"Blaise," he said. 

"Blaise? Cool. So tell me about this Professor named Snape." 

~*~

Their conversation ranged from Snape, to classes, to their summers. Draco had a lot of funny stories to tell about his vacation in America. Kiana decided Blaise wasn't giving her the cold shoulder, he was just quiet by nature and didn't mind not saying much. 

Since Kiana wasn't going anywhere in particular, she just let Draco and Blaise lead the way. At last, Draco said, 

"Where are you going?" 

"No where in particular," Kiana said, looking around. She realized they were walking in the darker corridors of Hogwarts, near the dungeons. 

'Well, Blaise and I have got to stop by the common room before dinner." He began to go down a different passageway. "See you around." 

"'K. Bye," Kiana said. Blaise gave her a short nod, and she turned around to walk to dinner with a lingering grin. 

~*~

Harry rushed through the corridors Sunday evening laden with books from the library. He had belatedly remembered his Transfiguration essay and was trying to finish it in the little time he had before night. On the recommendation of Hermione, he had rented several books from the library. As he was checking the list for the third time, (it was rather comprehensive, with different symbols indicating the length and usefulness of each book,) he heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Kiana and Hannah Abott walking in the opposite direction. They looked like they were deeply immersed in their conversation and didn't notice him watching them. Actually, Kiana was quite aware of his prescence, but she didn't want to seem rude to her new friend. Actually, she was trying to work up the nerve to look at him. 

Just as Harry was about to pass her she suddenly met his eyes. He locked gazes with her for a second when suddenly a thump on his foot alerted him to the fact that one of his books had fallen. He couldn't think how, and stared at it with an astonished expression as it skidded across to Kiana. She picked it up and added it to his stack, saying, 

"I did that too! Except I dropped _all_ of mine." 

"Really? How did you do that?" Harry asked, his grin matching hers. 

"I have no clue," she said, shaking her head to emphasize her words. With a last grin over her shoulder, she left with Hannah. 

Harry kept grinning as he walked off. It was only after he replayed the scene in his head for the fourth time while doing homework that he realized he had forgotten to say thank you. He hoped she didn't think he was rude. 

~*~

Kiana grinned at Ron as he bemoaned their next class: Potions. It was Monday morning. 

"Come on, Snape can't be that bad, can he?" 

"Oh he is, he is," Hermione said earnestly, "You just don't know because you've never met him before." 

"He might be nice because I'm new," Kiana said, pursing her lips and frowning thoughtfully. 

"Actually he might be nastier. But don't worry, it'll be ok," Harry said. 

"Draco seems to think highly of him," Kiana said, still with a thoughtful tone. She quickly dropped it when she felt the three of them stiffen beside her. Suddenly the air was tense. 

"When did you talk to Malfoy?" Hermione asked slowly. 

"I happened to see him in the halls with some other guy, and I just sort of ended up talking to him," Kiana said with a shrug. She didn't mention that she had initiated the conversation. 

"Why?" she continued, "He's nice!" 

"He is _not_ nice," Harry said through clenched teeth. The image of Malfoy and Kiana talking really bothered him. It just gave him a really strange feeling he couldn't quite place, like hitting your funny bone really hard. 

"Well, even if you guys don't like him, I do, so try not to say mean things about him in front of me, ok?" Kiana's tone was cajoling. 

"Mean things? Do you know what he's done to us?" Hermione said, "Do you remember what he called me?" Her cheeks were flushed. 

"Everyone has prejudices," Kiana said, still trying to calm her down. She repeated the words of a lecture her father had given her a while ago. "At least he is open with his. And you can't get rid of prejudcices by hating people, you've got to overcome them." 

"Don't lecture me," Hermione snapped. At the same moment Ron said, "Are you trying to defend him??" Both talked at the same time but neither stopped. 

"You think you can turn him into a good person or something? You think we haven't been nice enough? You think you're better than us? Don't condescend!" Hermione said. Ron's ears brurned red. "You think you can be his friend? He's thinks he's better than everyone else! He's an arrogant, nasty bastard!" 

Kiana was silent under their barrage. 

"Listen, Kiana," Harry said quietly, his hand on her arm. "Malfoy might seem nice right now, but he's only pretending because he wants something from you. He's really not worth your time." 

"You mean not worth _anything_," Ron said. Kiana shot him a sharp look. He stared back defiantly. 

"You can't be friends with both of us," Hermione said, "It's either him or me." She lifted her chin. Kiana's eyebrows shot down. She couldn't believe what Hermione had said. 

"Why not? Draco knew I was friends with you. _He_ didn't force me to choose." 

"Fine then!" Hermione threw her hands up and walked away without looking back. Ron started after her almost instantly. 

Kiana turned to look at Harry. He seemed frozen, but his decision was quick. A year of friendship was worth more than a couple of days, no matter how much he liked her. He moved to catch up with Hermione and Ron. Kiana stood in the middle of the bustling hallway, full of students lost in their own dramas and unaware of her own. She watched him walk away, almost stunned. He paused to look back only once, and his expression reminded Kiana of Josh's as the train pulled away from the station. 

**A/N:** Thank you so much for reading this far. Please review. Thanks goes to **midnight solitaire, Lee-SenRu, Suicide777**(Sry for the misunderstanding, it's my other story, which I'm posting soon, that is Hermione/Draco), and **Princess of Darkness6**. Thanks again, your reviews encouraged me so much! I hope you liked this new chapter. 


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